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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spell — letters
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. band — a music group
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. spell — magic
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bat — the animal
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mug — a face
  24. plane — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com